The invention relates to an apparatus for the application or placement of a self-adhesive label onto a disk-shaped object, particularly a compact disk, in accordance with the introductory clause of claim 1. The invention further relates to a label adaptedly structured commensurate with the apparatus, in accordance with the introductory clause of claim 10. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of operating the apparatus according to the invention.
From the published PCT-International Application No. WO 96/05057 there is known an apparatus for best possible centric placement of a self-adhesive label onto a compact disk. A centered adhesive application of a label upon a compact disk, also known as a CD, is extremely important for technical reasons. A CD rotates during the reading process at a very high reading rate. If the CD is unbalanced, the thereby caused eccentrically acting forces are imparted to the reading device, particularly to the mechanical parts and the reading head, which results in premature wear or even damage or breakage of the reader. Therefore, the adhesive label must be applied or affixed onto the compact disk in an exact as ever possible centric position. The known apparatus of the aforementioned-prior art has the disadvantage in that it consists of several single components which have to be manually assembled and guided in a determinate consecutive renders difficult an exact centering of the label with respect to the CD and, on the other hand, this reveals problems while holding the individual components, because the sticky surface of the positioned adhesive label renders practically impossible the detachment of fingers without shifting the label off-center. A further disadvantage is seen in the fact that, subsequent to detaching the carrier foil and during the placement on the device, the label arches, bends up in dead center and is thus not arranged to be layed totally flat. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the manually guided CD is placed in a position slightly canted relative to the label, so that, for instance, air bubbles locked between the CD and the label can build up, or the label is affixed eccentrically relative to the CD. Furthermore, there is a clearance or play:
between the positioning hole and the inner circle of the adhesive label;
between the positioning hole and the cylindric guide; and
between the inner circle of the compact disk and the diameter of the cylindrical extension.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for applying a self-adhesive label onto a disk-shaped object, particularly a compact disk, which apparatus renders possible a simple, centered and reliably reproducible placement of the adhesive label.
This object of the invention is implemented by means of an apparatus characterized by the features according to claim 1. The sub-claims 2 to 9 refer to further advantageous embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved adhesive label for a compact disk, which label is adapted to the apparatus according to the invention and renders possible a simple and dependable application thereof onto the compact disk.
This object is implemented by means of an inscribable or printable compound label comprising the
This further object of the invention is implemented by means of an inscribable or printable compound label comprising the characteristics defined in claim 10. The sub-claims 11 through 17 refer to further advantageous embodiments of the inscribable compound label, which are particularly structured as a sheet containing self-adhesive labels. Furthermore, the object of the invention is solved by a method of applying self-adhesive labels, said method having the characteristics defined in claim 18.
The apparatus according to the invention for especially centric placement of a self-adhesive label onto a disk-shaped object, particularly a compact disk, comprises a first housing part with a locating device for the adhesive label as well as a second housing part with a locating device for the disk-shaped object, whereby the housing parts are movably connected with each other, particularly in swivelling or translational manner, and conveyable from an open position into a closed position in such a manner that, in the closed position, the locating devices are placed in a position arranged to face one another, and that in said closed position at least one of the locating devices is movably arranged in the respective housing part to travel in the direction toward the respective opposite locating device, in order to bring the disk-shaped- object into contact with the adhesive label.
An advantage of the apparatus according to the invention is seen in that, in the open position, the compact disk is readily and conveniently insertable in a position determined by the second housing part, and in that the self-adhesive label together with the carrier foil and/or grip tabs thereof is readily and conveniently insertable and positionable in a position determined by the first housing part. Subsequent to the insertion into the first housing part, the carrier foil of the adhesive label is detached or peeled off, whereby the label is securely located by said first housing part, so that there is hardly any hazard or risk that the fingers of the operator can come into contact with the bare sticky surface of the adhesive label. By way of example, the two-housing parts are connected with each other to swivel about a common swivel axis, so that in a simple manner the housing parts can be foldingly brought into a closed position, after which the compact disk and the adhesive label are arranged and aligned opposite one another. In this position there is exerted, particularly upon the center of the second housing part or rather upon a control button arranged thereat, a light force directed toward the first housing part, so that the two housing parts or rather the two locating devices draw closer to one another and the compact disk thereby comes to lie on the adhesive label, the latter thus being affixed.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the adhesive label and the compact disk in the closed position are arranged to be accurately mutually centered. During the closing travel into the closed position, the mutual centering takes place automatically, so that the adhesive label and the compact disk in their closed position are arranged to be superimposedly centered and now only have to be moved for mutual contact by means of a slight pressing movement. Self-adhesive labels can be thus exactly centrically affixed to compact disks or other disk-shaped objects.
The mutual or interdependent centering of the two housing parts or rather of the two locating devices has the further advantage in that the apparatus according to the invention renders possible exact centering of the adhesive label relative to the compact disk even then, when the component parts, for instance, on the basis of process or work tolerances, are shaped slightly differently. Mutual centering thus also exercises a tolerance-compensation function. An advantage is obvious in that the component parts with low tolerance requirements can be cost-effectively fabricated. By virtue of the relatively low tolerance requirements, the apparatus according to the invention consisting of several component parts is also relatively simple and economical to assemble.
The two housing parts can be brought by means of translational motion and/or rotatory motion into a position for mutually centering the label and the disk-shaped object. In a preferred exemplary embodiment the two housing parts are mounted to be set in motion about a common swivel axis.
In an advantageous embodiment the first housing part comprises a flat supporting surface for a label or rather for a compound label, so that the latter in a first step is layed upon the flat supporting surface and thereafter the carrier foil and/or the grip tabs are peeled off, so that the self-adhesive surface of the label comes to lie on top without causing, during the peel-off of the carrier foil and/or of the grip tabs, finger marks and the like on the self-adhesive surface. Since the fingers of the operator do not become sticky, there is ensured that, upon removal of the CD from the second housing part, no sticky finger prints will be transferred onto the CD-surface readable by the laser. Later on such finger prints would impair reliable reading of the stored data or information. In a further advantageous embodiment the first housing part comprises a spigot with spring elements allotedly arranged at the circumference, which elements retain the label along the inner circle, such that an arching of the label is precluded and, moreover, dimensional tolerances of the inner circle of the labels or of the spigot are correctively compensated. In yet a further advantageous embodiment of the apparatus, the spigot is floatingly retained or mounted in the first housing part and is centered during the folding of the two housing parts by a guiding element arranged at the second housing part, so that the label is accurately centered and arranged opposite the compact disk irrespective of possible differing dimensional tolerances of the two housing parts as well as of the spigot.
The inventive adhesive label for the identification of a compact disk is structured as a compound label having a planiform flexible carrier material as well as at least one detachable CD-label adhesively affixed thereat and comprising a particularly circular recess, whereby the carrier material comprises rated cuts or predetermined break lines which, in the circumferential direction of the label, protuberantly extend at least sectionally beyond a peripheral border or edge of the adhesive label.
The adhesive label can be structured to be inscribable and, for example, can consist of paper. The label is printable or rather inscribable particularly by means of an ink-jet printer or by means of a laser printer. The surface of a compact disk can be also directly printed, for example, by means of an ink-jet printer, whereby the used color is normally water-soluble. Under the term xe2x80x98labelxe2x80x99 of the compound label of the present invention, there is also to be understood a transparent lamination sheet for covering the compact-disk surface, whereby this transparent lamination particularly serves the purpose of protecting the water-soluble color deposited on the compact disk. Such a transparent-lamination label can be designed to be very thin or to have a high finish or gloss. Particularly for such a label it is of paramount importance that, in the course of placing the adhesive label onto the compact disk, no contact with fingers of the operator takes place. By virtue of the construction of the inventive compound label, such contact with the fingers of the operator is quite impossible.
An advantage of the compound label in accordance with the invention is seen in that the carrier material protruding partially beyond the peripheral edge or border of the label renders possible a simple insertion of the compound label into the apparatus according to the invention, and in that subsequent to insertion the carrier material can be simply grasped and peeled off from the label, so that the label is held by the apparatus according to the invention in a defined position and that during peel-off no contact between the sticky surface of the label and the operator""s fingers takes place.